Logo design and design thinking is always evolving. Sometimes a look back can be useful, either to inspire something new or in some cases remind one what not to do.
A Feb. 2009 article in Ad Age “Kraft Latest Marketer to Cheer Up Its Logo” (sorry if you don’t have Ad Age subscription, it is locked up behind their wall now) about how so many brands are refreshing their logos to be “happier” got me thinking about the constant evolution of logo design and design thinking. For your viewing pleasure, consideration and retro-y inspiration:
A collection of vintage logos from a mid-70’s…
Question.
Is your form following your function?
Is your less really more?
Have you seen the big G-O-D lurking around in your details?
And the behemoth of all design questions, are you K.I.S.S.-ing?
For those of you that have been overloaded with design formulas–here, there, and everywhere–a book is coming that blows these rules out of the water, Never Use White Type on a Black Background: And 50 Other Ridiculous Design Rules by Anneloes van Gaalen.
I have a love affair with breaking rules, so this book gives me hard-core proof and comfort in this crazy “when in doubt–leave it out” laden design world.
Happy rule breaking!
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Jinean Robinson is…
For all those media doom and gloom reports about the economy and all of the woes you may be experiencing right now, there is still plenty to be done. Remember, readers, we are the keepers of our destiny and have the power to make it happen.
Peep these tips for all you creative folk out there.
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Jinean Robinson is a CCIO (Chief Creative Infections Officer) specializing in creative strategy and implementation, 360 branding communications, and brand development. Join her at http://twitter.com/germllc or her firm’s website at http://germonline.com/
Chicago – Dallas – Los Angeles – San Francisco – New York City – Seattle: These placement gurus have got some good work and clients brewing. Go get you some work and you are free to send all commission checks to me via Paypal 
Seriously, lots of great work and opportunity for freelance. Let me know how it goes!
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Jinean Robinson is a CCIO (Chief Creative Infections Officer) specializing in creative strategy and implementation, 360 branding communications, and brand development. Join her at http://twitter.com/germllc or her firm’s website at http://germonline.com/
Finally, an opportunity to write on a bus shelter without consequence. Interactive e-cast billboards have been erected by Sharpie around cities, allowing people to deface at will. Pick a Sharpie and leave your permanent mark on a bus shelter, telephone booth, or, for the brave ones, a billboard.
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Jinean Robinson is a CCIO (Chief Creative Infections Officer) who has been in the communications industry for over 8 years, specializing in creative strategy and implementation, 360 branding communications, and brand development. Join her at http://twitter.com/germllc or her firm’s website at http://germonline.com/
There is no love lost between most designers and the new Pepsi logo. If you Google “the new Pepsi logo” you will be bombarded with designers and everyday people’s negative opinions about the new look, and, personally, I like to think a million dollars buys something a little nicer. That said, I love the new Sierra Mist logo and packaging because it just plain makes sense (in addition to being absolutely lovely).
I’m more puzzled at the timing of their release of the Throwback Pepsi and Throwback Mountain Dew. Why release a throwback immediately after the release of a redesign? It…
I have a friend who doesn’t eat anything he hasn’t had before without a huge amount of coaxing. He decides he doesn’t like things even before he’s tasted them. There are literally thousands of amazing foody experiences he’s going to miss out on because of this. It boggles my brain how he can be so phobic of food – all he needs to do it pop it in his mouth, give it a whirl, and low and behold he’d probably like it. Maybe even love it.
The same thing happens in advertising. Clients are the main culprits of this extremely frustrating trait.…
A while back, when I was still a college student, I had the amazing opportunity to partake in an independent study with a leading advertising firm. There, I experimented (like you do in college) and was given Nabisco as a faux client to help develop my portfolio. Now, I’m not meaning to toot my own horn over this, but I feel I did a pretty bang up job on these billboard ads.
The concept was simple: “Nabisco Cookies are a treat, a reward that parents give to their children for being themselves, for being kids.
All was right with the world until…
Ever wonder, “what does it really take to develop great ideas?” I mean the big ones. The juicy, sloppy, wet ones that drench the culture and live soaked in society for decades. Well, there is a great Cannes Selection film, “Art & Copy,” that does just that. Or, shall I say instead of wondering, the filmmakers decided to Just Do It!
Check out a screening in your area: http://www.artandcopyfilm.com/screenings/
While in Atlanta, I’m gonna go to the screening on Wednesday, April 22nd as part of the Atlanta Film Festival. Tune in Thursday for my review–like you care what I think–but I’ll let you…
Don’t you just love a photographer that can show a portfolio with many sides? Don’t cha wish you could curl up with one? Allow their depth of focus to take your design to a whole other level? Don’t cha wish your photographer was hot like this guy…don’tcha (sorry couldn’t resist)! From still to portrait to fashion this dude is GOOD!!! With clients changing things at the last minute down to the camera click it’s good to know that someone out there can handle it. Harold Daniels is one of my back pocket goodies that I’m itchin’ to use.
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Jinean Robinson is a CCIO…
Hello 12 Point Type readers! I’m a new writer to this blog and I’ve been wracking my brain trying to come up with an eloquent and compelling first post on par with my fellow bloggers here that would convince you to subscribe so fast you’d chalk it up to an outer-body experience. Unfortunately, my aspirations fail me. Instead, I offer this:
Now I know a good deal when I see one, but I think it’s safe to assume copy-writing just isn’t for everyone;
even if you do it for a living.
A little something to keep in mind when writing is content and…
Ok. Gonna tell you a little secret….
I know we can get caught in our rut of, “how much bigger do I have to make this logo,” “must EVERYTHING have to be sketched, comped, and spelled out to buy off on just the concept?,” or “do I have to work with the brand marketing all-star team from the 60’s?”
But on my way to meetings yesterday, I got a quick reminder of how lucky we are. I was riding on the interstate and saw a car on the freeway hit the guard rail only to be thrown into oncoming traffic. This reminded…
Recently I lost someone in my family whom I loved and was very fond of. At a time like this, it makes you think about what that person will be remembered for. Invariably you also think about what kind of legacy you’ll leave behind. When Paul Newman passed away last fall, he more than anyone defined how to both live life and leave a legacy behind that so many people will benefit from.
Arguably one of the greatest American actors of the past 50 years. From the early 1950s to this decade, Paul Newman repeatedly set the bar high for acting…
Ahh, now I know where awards are and the money to pay for entering can be found.
To those of you who dream of seeing your name grace the gold pencil, running in meadows with gold lions, or at least getting in the table of contents of design award annuals: get ready to pay up. I have been amazed at the fees participants must pay for entering design shows. Ok, ok, maybe I can understand the big bucks for Cannes, One Show, even CA, but all types of “award shows” are now asking for exorbitant amounts for just one entry in…
“After its package redesign, sales of the Tropicana Pure Premium line plummeted 20% between Jan. 1 and Feb. 22, costing the brand tens of millions of dollars. On Feb. 23, the company announced it would bow to consumer demand and scrap the new packaging, designed by Peter Arnell. It had been on the market less than two months.”
I studied all the facts and memorized the stats on the back on the cards. Then I dove even deeper. Baseball cards were uniquely responsible for me getting an “A” in geography my entire education because I was intrigued to go find out where places like Mobile, AL and Fresno, CA were. Remember, I was 8 when I started pouring all over my dad’s atlas’ and road maps to see where my favorite players came from. Needless to say, any geography teacher I shared this with was NOT impressed.
Last week the Detroit Lions, the NFL’s poster child for futility announced that they are finally up grading/refreshing their brand identity. If you’re not a foot ball fan, let me give you a bit of perspective on their plight. The Lions have not won an NFL Championship since Ike was president in 1957. They’ve never made it to a Super Bowl and in 52 seasons since then, they have only made the playoffs 9 times and and notched one post season victory. It gets worse. Last season the Lions became only the second team in NFL history to lose every game and the first to rack up an 0-16 record. Simply put the Detroit Lions have become the black hole of pro football.
So, what is the answer?
In a world of competing designers where everyone with Arial and a Sharpie are now the next Paula Scher, how do you compete for work? Is spec the answer?
Well, as lines have been drawn, there are two sides to the work-for-free war and boy oh boy are the jump drives flying.
One side believes that designers must take a united stand to not give free labor and belittle our purpose and industry. The other side says that in this overcrowded, over-saturated, and any other “over” word you can think of, it is just part of the evolving world…
So when in doubt, Keep On Smiling! If Pepsi and Kraft are smiling, they must be right. Right?
QSR chain JACK IN THE BOX with 2,100 quick-serve restaurants in 18 states and a pioneer of the drive-thru concept just launched their re-branded identity.The work was done by Duffy & Partners http://www.duffy.com of Minneapolis and the reaction has been mixed. I opine this way…
I like the look but feel that it is too clean in the sense that this is for a fast food chain and it comes across as more befitting a toy product than anything having to do with food. My first reaction I had was “MATTEL” because of the choice of red, more that fun, food and frivolity.
JACK…
“PepsiCo… is bowing to public demand and scrapping the changes made to a flagship product, Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice. Redesigned packaging that was introduced in early January is being discontinued… and the previous version will be brought back in the next month.”
What Can You Pack Into A SNAPSIL? A great delivery system that is so unique in it’s product innovation, I believe that we will be seeing a lot of SNAPSIL for a very long time. Remember that you heard it here first!
SNAPSIL is a proprietary portion control sample and utensil that combines both an industrial design sensibility that makes so much sense and it’s tactile ease-of-use for a high level of functionality and flexibility. The promotional possibilities and opportunity SNAPSIL offers is the icing on the cake. This is an outstanding example of problem solving at it’s best and it richly deserves…
TRUST ME did a good job at painting an accurate portrayal of the highly volatile and dysfunctional silo I know as the ad agency. If you haven’t worked in this realm and someone who does says they don’t like shows like this, it’s probably because it forces them to hold the mirror up to their chosen profession and it presents a less than flattering reflection!
Torch Creative out of Dallas is really lighting up the Sports and Corporate Branding Identity Program category for the National Hockey League, The NBA and in categories as diverse as QSR, CPG, Social/Cause Marketing, Health & Wellness and Industrial. In business since 2005, in four years they have established themselves as one the top design firms with a very distinct approach to their work.http://www.torchcreative.com/
The two principals, Brad Bishop and Michael Thurman, both from Texas have done some terrific work for the NHL such as their efforts for the 2008 Winter Classic. www.torchcreative.com/work.html
One of the things that struck me as so impressive about…
Kenyan phone manufacturer Mi-Fone has introduced what is being called an O-phone or Obama phone.
It’s branding in a most specific way, and it’s not going to cost very much to have your own O-phone, if you live in Kenya, $30.
In terms of phone capabilities and features, it’s a lightweight. It does have an fm transmittor, calculator, alarm clock and flashlight.
Besides stupid people and abject nonsense, they’re a given. We all do things that don’t help our own cause and make what we normally do very fluidly, into a battle and a struggle. Shalu Wasu a creative consultant with a terrific website that offers some great “reminders” on how not to be your own worse enemy. It is a simple, effective read that will be useful: http://tickledbylife.com/index.php/15-elephant-tethers-that-stop-you-from-being-creative/
Here’s a taste of what Shalu Wasu identifies as the many things creatives use to tether themselves to failure:
1. What will people think?
2. But I’ve never had any great ideas!
3. What is the right answer?
4. I don’t…
I get a lot of people asking me why I love to design logos more than anything else. My passion is definitely all things Shopper Marketing, but if I had to choose only one thing that I would love to do and never get tired of, it’s logos. The challenge from where I live and breathe, is they are their own language of business communication. A company’s visual signature and currency. The first brand ambassador for what your initiative endeavors to accomplish. Regardless if the logo is for a fortune 100 corporation or for one of my friends’ temporary projects, I…
Our intrepid friends Wallace & Gromit from across the pond are back again showing up in more advertising. After their highly successful Harvey Nichols fashion ad campaign, out of Bristol, England, NPOWER a British power company employed our two favorite chaps into service in December to raise awareness about their free insulation program available for seniors and the disabled in Britain. http://www.npowermediacentre.com/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=2318&NewsAreaID=2
The two ingenious Brits have also popped up in Social/Cause Marketing in England with their own efforts, The Wallace and Gromit Foundation which is helping to fund pull-down beds for tired parents at children’s hospitals. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7426713.stm Well done lads! Check out their efforts: http://www.wallaceandgromitteaparty.org.uk/
Finally, a…
Successful branding is all about “BEHAVIOURAL MOMENTS” that are a set of actions that happen in the real world that actually drive sales an repeat business. “Once you decide, We Are Not In The Image Business, We Are In The Behavior Business, It Empowers A Different Conversation About Everything.”
